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A dmired as perhaps the finest of Sullivan's tall office A1Ib uildings, and renewed in a comprehensive restoration of the 1980s, the Guaranty Building in Buffalo [Figure 1] stands in need of a detailed historical and architectural study. This article offers such an account of this important work at its one hundredth anniversary.
The Guaranty represents the pinnacle of Sullivan’s forward-thinking design and marks the beginning of the uniquely American style of architecture that influenced the young Frank Lloyd Wright, who worked for Adler and Sullivan from 1888 to 1893.
- Overview
- Early years
- Work in association with Adler
Louis Sullivan, (born September 3, 1856, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died April 14, 1924, Chicago, Illinois), American architect, regarded as the spiritual father of modern American architecture and identified with the aesthetics of early skyscraper design. His more than 100 works in collaboration (1879–95) with Dankmar Adler include the Auditorium...
Louis was born of Patrick, a dancing master, and Adrienne Françoise (List) Sullivan. His Irish-born father and Swiss-born mother had immigrated to the United States in 1847 and 1850, respectively, and were married in 1852. Their older son, Albert Walter, was born in 1854. Sullivan attended public schools in the Boston area and spent summers on his grandparents’ farm in nearby South Reading. When his parents moved to Chicago in 1869, Sullivan stayed behind with his grandparents and later with neighbours, commuting to school in Boston.
In September 1872 he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which had the first architectural school in the United States (founded 1865). Sullivan was an impatient architectural student and left at the end of the year with thoughts of studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris or of being an apprentice to an architect. He discussed his ideas in New York City with Richard Morris Hunt, one of the fashionable architects of the day and the first American to study architecture at the Beaux-Arts. Hunt suggested he work with the Philadelphia firm of Furness and Hewitt. Sullivan was hired, staying for several months until work dwindled in the economic panic of 1873. In November he left for Chicago and was soon employed in the architectural office of a prominent figure in the development of the style of the Chicago School, William Le Baron Jenney. The office foreman, John Edelmann, became his friend.
The idea of studying in Paris persisted, however, and in July 1874 Sullivan sailed for Europe. He worked hard to pass the difficult entrance examinations for the Beaux-Arts, although after he was accepted he proved to be a restless and erratic student. He made a brief excursion to Florence and Rome. A romantic young man with sideburns, he affected a certain swagger in dress. During the single year he remained in Paris, he was attached to the atelier of the architect Émile Vaudremer.
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Back in Chicago in June 1875, Sullivan worked briefly as a draftsman for a number of firms. One such job was for the recently formed firm of Johnston and Edelmann. It was John Edelmann who made the momentous introduction of Sullivan to his future partner, Dankmar Adler. In 1879 Sullivan joined Adler’s office and in May 1881, at the age of 24, became a partner in the firm of Adler and Sullivan, Architects. Their 14-year association produced more than 100 buildings, many of them landmarks in the history of American architecture.
Sullivan’s brilliance as a designer was complemented by Adler’s business ability, his tact with clients, and his knowledge of technical matters, especially acoustics. After coming to Chicago in 1861, Adler had worked as a draftsman, and he returned to the city after serving in the Civil War. In 1871 he formed a successful partnership with Edward Burling that lasted until 1879. As an independent architect Adler designed Central Music Hall in Chicago (1879), which was the prototype of theatres later designed by the firm of Adler and Sullivan. Adler was a consultant on acoustics and in his later years was a writer on the technical and legal aspects of architecture.
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Although Adler and Sullivan did substantial residential work, it was in their commercial work that they made their art-historic contribution. Most of their buildings were in Chicago, where the commercial expansion of the 1880s resulted in many commissions.
The early years of the Adler and Sullivan practice did not result in buildings of lasting interest, however. It was the commission in 1886 to design the Auditorium Building in Chicago that marked the first period of Sullivan’s design maturity. This project was a curious combination of a hotel and office block wrapped in a U-shape around a 3,982-seat auditorium for opera. Completed in December 1889, it is a 10-story-high building of granite and limestone with a 17-story tower. The noble arcaded exterior is very simple in profile, has little ornament, and owes much to the architect Henry Hobson Richardson’s design for the Marshall Field Wholesale Store, then recently completed in Chicago. The interior, however, is lavishly decorated with relief ornament and coloured stenciled patterns, all of which brought forth Sullivan’s great talent for designing ornamentation. The interior of the auditorium (restored 1967) is particularly opulent and features gilded plasterwork and countless electric light bulbs. The decoration, which is dazzling and properly theatrical, owes nothing to historical eclecticism. The astonishingly effective acoustical design of the auditorium was the work of Adler, who was also responsible for all structural and mechanical aspects of the building.
Jan 19, 2011 · Describe the era in which Adler & Sullivan practiced, and how that affected their designs. The era in which they were practicing in the 1880s and 1890s was a time when buildings became taller, and the expression of that building style was still a great problem for architects.
Dec 6, 2023 · Key points. The Union Army’s victory at the Battle of Gettysburg in early July 1863 was a turning point in the Civil War, although it brought the highest death toll of any battle in the 4-year conflict.
The Auditorium was a turning point in Sullivan's career and a milestone in the development of modern architecture. From approximately 1886 through 1890, Sullivan went through a phase of drawing his inspiration from H. H. Richardson , the first renowned architect after the Civil War.
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Nov 21, 2023 · The Civil War raged from 1861-1865, creating political unrest and activism in the city. When Sullivan was a teenager, Boston experienced the Great Fire of 1872, which destroyed 65 acres of the...
